


When I Find Love

by cloudsarefluffy



Series: Ask and Ye Shall Recieve (Tumblr Ask Box Prompts) [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Derek and Stiles Meet Differently, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Blink and You'll Miss it Angst?, Celebrity Derek, Derek Needs To Use His Words, Derek Takes Care Of Stiles, Derek Uses His Words, Derek and Stiles Being Idiots, Derek and Stiles are Dorks, Derek and Stiles are Mates, Derek is Stiles' Client, Derek is a Good Alpha, Established Friendship, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone Thinks They're Together, Eye Sex, First Kiss, Fluff, Human Stiles Stilinski, I also might have lied when I said no angst, Kate Argent Never Existed, Kissing in the Rain, M/M, Matchmaker Stiles, New York City, No Angst, No Sex, Oblivious Stiles, Only because Derek doesn't want to scare Stiles off, POV Stiles, Pining Derek, Prompt Fill, Romantic Comedy, Roses, Sexual Tension, Some Humor, Stiles Wears Glasses, Stiles is Derek's Favorite, Stiles is Legal, Touching, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Tumblr Prompt, a little miscommunication, because they're might be a little, but only if you look hard enough, romantic dinner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 06:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4294554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudsarefluffy/pseuds/cloudsarefluffy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for somniator99: <i> I just want to read a romantic comedy with sterek pairing with matchmaker stiles who trys to make Derek fall for someone else instead they falls for each other but no angst okay …</i></p><p>--</p><p>Stiles is good at his job, and he’s pretty sure knew what he was doing.</p><p>Every single person he had helped pair up so far was happy and satisfied with his choices. No one ever called him back up after a meeting and told him that the person who they were seeing wasn’t compatible for them at all, and that there wasn’t <i>at least</i> some form of connection. In fact, the longest he had a client looking for their match was about a week before they declared: “this is the one.”</p><p>Stiles was proud to say that he could make people fall in love in only a matter of days.</p><p>But then again, none of those people are the ever-unsatisfied, seasoned client named Derek Hale, either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When I Find Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [somniator99](https://archiveofourown.org/users/somniator99/gifts).



> Another fill? Look at me go! 
> 
> Well, this is for one of my fans somniator99. (:  
> (Also, SupernaturalMystery306, if you're reading this, you should totally prompt me with something. (; )
> 
> Anyways, this was more so as an "innocent" prompt I got. By that, I mean it's the only one where sex wasn't outlined in the request. That's not a bad thing, though. It kind of gives a girl a little freedom.  
> Still, I thought I should add a little something because fluff and some kissing always goes a long way. I also went a little cliche here - but we fan fic readers love that shit, so let's lay it on, shall we?
> 
> Also, I didn't want to explain what kind of company the Hales ran. I felt like that took away from the story if I did - and since Stiles and Derek are already aware of each other and their attributes, it wouldn't make sense for Stiles to question anything like that I guess. So except maybe a line or two hinting at what the Hales do since they're alive and the fire never killed them off. 
> 
> And, for some reason, this is taking place in New York again. I'm sorry, but I honestly couldn't think of another city that would really fit the bill in this case - maybe San Fran - but for Stiles' matchmaker purposes, an HQ down in NY would make more sense because of the diversity and whatnot. Boom, _business logic._
> 
> As always, links are at the bottom!
> 
> Enjoy!~

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Derek, I swear to god,” Stiles groans as he sees the man sitting on his couch tapping his fingers along his knee patiently, “This is the fifth time this week you’ve come in for an ‘emergency’ meeting…”

“It is an emergency,” Derek states easily, seemingly nonchalant and impassive as he starts at Stiles while he takes a seat in the chair opposite of him, “I don’t like who you picked for me last night.”

Stiles sighs and rubs at his forehead, “Derek, this is like- the sixtieth-something person I’ve set you up with now. I can’t keep throwing people at you if you’re not willing to catch them.”

“Well they aren’t who I want.”

Like _that’s_ supposed to make it okay…

Stiles, ever the patient soul, pinches the bridge of his nose to fight off the impending headache that is Derek Hale’s relationship demand and denial, “Look, you signed up for this-“

“My sister signed me up-“

“ _You_ got signed up either way, Derek,” Stiles continues with a somewhat irritated tone, “I get that as a big tycoon like you, finding someone to connect to may be a little tough. But come on, dude! I’ve given you some choice opportunities at happiness, and you shot down every single one of them! Tell me, are you trying to torture yourself, or are you aiming to give me an aneurysm within the next five minutes?”

Derek snorts and looks at Stiles with a smirk, because, being the _loyal_ client that he is, he’s gotten used to Stiles’ temper when he declares he wants another possible match, “Maybe I’m not doing anything.”

“Oh, now that’s some bullshit,” Stiles snaps, but he reels it in and sighs, his glasses resting lower on the bridge of his nose as he looks back onto his tablet, “Derek, this is a serious issue. I’m known for being able to get the right people together in a short amount of time. Hell, the agreement says that if you can’t find your perfect match, for whatever reason, within a month, you get your payment refunded to you. Yet, you’ve never asked for one and have been here for how long, Derek?”

“Two years this next week.”

Stiles wants to facepalm, “Are you going to try and sue me into oblivion for poor customer service, then?”

Derek laughs softly at that, but he relaxes a little into his seat, his legs spreading a little and his arms resting along the length of the armrests, “Stiles, I’m part of a huge cooperation that was started by my grandfather, run by my mother, and is getting handed down to me here within the next few years. I own numerous stocks that have generous returns on the investments, alongside running a non-profit charity, and I help out in the community here by donating both my money and my time. What makes you think I’m going to go after you for money or your name?”

“I- I don’t know… But you obviously want something, and I don’t know what it is, exactly,” Stiles looks down at his tablet, and he flicks about the screen until he pulls up Derek’s profile from the database, “I mean, you’re an alpha and also a werewolf that’s still in their high prime, you’ve got open preferences to both species and gender, and you have no issues about personal backgrounds and or restrictions about the people I have you meet. Your profile is probably the most simplistic and easy-going I’ve ever had, but when I try to work off it, it just doesn’t connect…”

Stiles looks up to Derek, and the man has his hands steepled in front of his face, “Maybe you shouldn’t work off of it, then, if it’s giving you so many issues-“

“It’s _you_ that’s giving me the issues, Derek,” Stiles huffs in some annoyance, “I’ve never gotten past the point of using a formal way to talk to my clients, Derek. I don’t even call you Mr. Hale anymore because I got tired of doing it after ten months.”

“That’s fine though. I prefer Derek. Makes it more personal.”

Stiles groans as he locks his tablet and makes it go into sleep mode, “But this isn’t _supposed_ to be personal, Derek. I was hired to be your matchmaker, not your friend. You’ve got to understand, I’ve never been stumped with a client before.”

Derek’s face lights up a bit, “So I’m your exception-“

“No, you’re my problem, okay? Your sister has been calling me every day for almost, apparently, seven-hundred-and-thirty days asking me if I found the mate of your dreams. Do you know how annoying _and_ frightening it is to tell her no and listen to her chew me out over the phone? I don’t want to even know what it’ll be like when she gets fed up and comes to the office to personally tirade and tell me about how I lack competence.”

“Stiles, you don’t- you’re not bad at your job, okay? It’s just me.”

Stiles sighs, “Yeah, I’m beginning to notice that.”

Derek rolls his eyes lightly at the comment, “Look, how about we stop worrying about the whole pairing me up thing and de-stress for a bit instead?”

“What?”

“I can smell that you’re about one second away from a migraine,” Derek stands then and grabs his trademark leather jacket he set over the back of the chair when he had come in, “You need some downtime, so come on.”

Stiles gapes at the werewolf before him, “Uh, dude, I don’t know what planet or alternate universe you’re from, but I just can’t _walk_ out of here when I feel like it. I’ve got about an hour or so before I actually get off.”

“And, you can take that off. Call your assistant. She’ll take care of things.”

“Derek-“

“Come on, Stiles,” Derek then grabs Stiles out of the chair he’d still been sitting in.

Stiles squirms and flails slightly as the alpha essentially drags him to his office door, “Derek, god dammit! I’ve still got a few profiles to look over, and-“

“You can look at them tomorrow,” he finishes easily, “Kira will take care of it, okay? You didn’t hire her to just sit there and look professional, after all.”

Stiles groans, “There’s no getting out of this, is there?”

“No.”

Stiles huffs and unlocks his tablet while Derek drags him to the elevators. Since Stiles’ office is on an upper floor of the building, so the ride is a little longer than most would expect. Still, it gives Stiles a chance to email a few things to Kira real quick before Derek more than likely drags him out of the building and he loses his connection to their network.

The alpha is quiet beside Stiles as he watches the numbers of the floors light up and change the closer they get to the bottom floor. All the while, his hand is still holding onto Stiles’ suit, as if Stiles would dart off at the first chance he got to huddle himself back up in his office. His presence is prominent in the elevator – with his spicy, musky scent collecting up near Stiles’ nose as he breathes in the confined space.

Sure, he may be human, but Stiles isn’t stupid or blind. He’s well aware that Derek is an unusual person to have as a client – at least, in this kind of service, it is. After all, Derek is the prodigal example of the prowess and intimidation of being a successful alpha. From his looks, to his scent, to his reputation, Derek demands attention. A mate is probably the easiest thing to get for Derek, but why in the hell he needs Stiles to find it is beyond everyone at this point. Surely, with how Derek gets official propositions from people who have just as much gravity as he does, trying to find someone willing to mate and love Derek wouldn’t be the daunting task that it is.

But that’s the case – that’s how it is every single time Stiles sends Derek out on a blind date with yet _another_ potential mate candidate. Derek always ends up calling Stiles afterwards telling him that “there wasn’t any spark” or “they kept going on about something-something I didn’t like”, or even the ever elusive “try again, Stiles”. It was driving the human insane. After all, he was known around the country as being the best matchmaker there was, and he had a high guarantee for fast, effective results.

And yet there’s Derek Hale – the enigma of Stiles’ abilities and data.

It makes Stiles sigh as the elevator dings and the door opens.

“You okay?”

Stiles turns to see Derek looking at him with what seems like underlying concern, “Uh, yeah? I was just thinking, is all.”

“About?”

That makes Stiles snort softly, because Derek’s always been a man for words, “Baseball.”

“I’m a werewolf, remember? I can tell when you’re lying.”

Stiles groans, “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t read me like that.”

Derek smiles as he and Stiles walk alongside one another, his hands in his jacket pockets while he scans the vacant hallway in front of them, “That was while we were discussing business. We’re not doing that now.”

“Stop making excuses.”

“Then stop lying and tell me what’s bothering you.”

Stiles huffs indignantly, “I was thinking about you, okay?”

Derek’s grin widens, “Oh, _were_ you now?”

“N-Not in the way you must be thinking,” the human stutters as his cheeks burn with blush, “It’s just- I’m really hung up on how… well, how _you’re_ hung up.”

They’re near the end of the hall now as Derek speaks, “Stiles, we don’t need to talk about that, okay?”

“I know, but,” Stiles slows a little with his pace, and Derek ends up stopping right beside Stiles when he does, “I just feel lost with it, okay? I’ve been trying for two years to get you the love of your life, and I’ve failed miserably. Like, how do you not hate me?”

Derek is quiet for a moment, and when Stiles looks up from the floor, he finds Derek staring at the doors that lead into the main entrance, “I don’t hate you, Stiles… This whole ‘find Derek a mate’ thing has been going on for a while now, and I guess I’ve gotten kind of acclimated to it. It’s nothing you did, I promise.”

“So you aren’t going to fire me and write a bad review on Yelp?”

That makes Derek laugh again, but it’s soft – almost fond, even, “Stiles, I told you already. I’m not in this to slander your name or take your money.”

“Then what _are_ you here for, then?”

Derek turns to Stiles then with a level gaze, “I don’t know… You tell me?”

Stiles manages to keep eye contact for just a second until he drops his gaze to the floor, and he awkwardly pushes his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, “W-We should get going…”

It’s silent after that as both Stiles and Derek walk to the main exit of Stiles’ office building. Before they head out, Stiles gives Kira his tablet at the desk and explains that something important came up that he has to take care of. She nods, sends a quick glance to Derek that says a lot more than what she’s willing to voice, and goes back to answering the phone like she’s supposed to. It makes Stiles a little uneasy and jittery as he leaves with Derek – who’s apparently unaware as to the accusing glance Kira gave to them both – as they walk to the parking area. It’s almost a relief when Stiles begins to walk away from Derek then to head to his car.

Or, that’s what Stiles believes is happening until Derek gives into his most recent habit of manhandling Stiles in the directions he wants him to go – which, in this case, is opposite of where his Jeep rests in its assigned parking spot.

“Uh, Derek, my car is that way-“

“Don’t worry about it, I’m driving.”

Stiles exhales a little roughly, looking over his shoulder at Derek as he guides him to the alpha’s sporty, black Camaro in an emptier section of the lot, “You know, you’re really bossy today. Did someone at work knock you down an authoritative peg or something?”

Derek laughs, because he’s probably the only alpha that Stiles knows who can take a hit to his ‘alpha ego’ without getting butthurt about it, “No, Stiles, nothing like that. I’ve just been a little to-the-wire recently. After all, my mom’s preparing to hand the entire company over to me in a few weeks since she’s officially retiring.”

“I know that she is. It’s one of the things your sister told me about when she signed you up initially… Wait, weren’t you already supposed to be CEO or something?”

Derek stiffens a little at the question, but he still leads Stiles over to the passenger door and opens it for him, despite the human’s nonverbal objections, “My mom wanted to give me a bit more free time to be able to get myself ready, is all. She and Cora both wanted me to get a mate before I became the CEO. They said it would balance me out or something- keep me level through the stress and workload.”

Stiles looks up at Derek then, who’s still standing on the right side of the Camaro looking at Stiles, “So why haven’t you got a mate yet, then?”

“Your toes are going to get shut in the door if you don’t move them,” Derek murmurs.

“Derek, come on, answer the-“

With a swift hand, Derek fixes Stiles’ leg and foot placement within a millisecond, only to shut the door on Stiles before he can get another word in. It makes the human glare at the window a little as Derek stands outside of it, but his pouting is short lived once the alpha moves and gets into the driver’s seat beside him.

Stiles sighs, and he looks at Derek as he’s getting buckled, “You know, you don’t have to be ashamed about it, okay?”

“What?”

It’s a little surprising to see Derek so genuinely confused, “Uh, Derek, it’s okay. You know… not wanting a mate? You’re not defective or something if you don’t want that kind of thing… I know that your mother and family may be not as progressive as society is, but I’m sure that they’ll come around to your preferences with some time.”

For a second, Derek’s face is still scrunched up in that lost expression of his, but then it twists and contorts until a smile spreads his lips and a chuckle slips out between them. The sound grows until Derek is full-on laughing, with his head thrown back and his eyes shut as he cackles loudly. Stiles stares at him for a moment – only to tear his eyes away from the alpha when something similar the fluttering of fragile butterflies or a weird, anthropomorphic cotton ball deciding to be a dick and tickle his insides during this specific moment, forces him to.

“Stiles, it’s not that I don’t want a mate. I do. I mean, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t keep coming back to you because I couldn’t find them. I wouldn’t be in your office all the time to see you if I didn’t want my mate, right?”

Stiles blushes a little again, “Y-Yeah, I guess you’re right… But I still don’t understand why, though.”

“Stiles, we’re not supposed to be analyzing me, remember?”

“But we’re not talking about business anymore.”

Derek rubs a hand over his face while the other puts the key into the ignition and starts the car, “Who knew you would turn my own words against me?”

“Derek, we’ve known each other for almost two years now. You should be fully acclimated to my methods as of now.”

Derek snorts, shifting the Camaro into reverse as he does so, “Stiles, I could be given a hundred years in preparation for you, and I still don’t think I’d be ready.”

“Are you trying to say something about me?” Stiles looks at Derek with a mock amount of hurt.

Derek only laughs and shifts the car into drive to head to the exit of the lot.

Stiles hums grumpily and crosses his arms, but doesn’t press the issue much while Derek drives them to wherever he deems fitting at the moment. It leaves Stiles looking out of the passenger side window to look at the towering giants of skyscrapers that pass by. He feels a little small – a little dwarfed – in the car, but he’s kind of used to feeling insignificant in the city that never sleeps after being here for five years, at least.

“I can hear your brain thinking again,” Derek suddenly comments from off to the side, “Wanna talk about it?”

“What’s up with you and trying to get into my head recently?” Stiles asks as he pivots to look at the werewolf beside him.

Derek shrugs, but he doesn’t glance over to the human in his passenger seat, “I just want to know what you’re thinking about, is all… Do you mind?”

“I- I don’t know,” Stiles mutters, moving his gaze to view the city from the windshield, “I guess I’m not used to it… No one’s ever wanted to know what I was thinking about before.”

“So I _am_ your exception.”

That makes Stiles chuckle, “I guess you are…”

“But that still doesn’t tell me what’s bothering you.”

“It’s varied things. Like how I’ve been here for half a decade, or how I accidentally left my toast on the counter this morning again.”

Stiles feels the car jerk to a stop, and he whirls around to stare wide eyed at Derek as cars honk angrily behind them, “Derek, what are you doing!?”

“You didn’t eat this morning?”

Derek’s face is set into a sour scowl – one of the most negative that Stiles has ever been graced with seeing – and he just waves a hand between the road and Derek, “Uh, dude, _drive?”_

“ _Did_ you eat this morning?”

Another shrill honk rings through the hair, and Stiles feels an anxiousness bubble up in him, “No, I didn’t, okay? Now can you just put your foot on the gas and-“

“Did you have lunch?”

Stiles groans and nearly slams his head into the dashboard as he hears someone open their car door further down in the line of pissed off pedestrian drivers, “Derek, come on! You’re going to get arrested or something-“

“Answer the question, and I’ll drive.”

“No! I didn’t have breakfast or lunch, okay!? I got busy and I forgot! Now can you please just-“

The car starts rolling forward again, and the panic-inducing honking from behind ends just as quickly as it came, leaving Stiles slumping haggardly into the passenger seat.

“Derek, don’t- don’t do that again…”

“Then don’t skip two meals,” he answers calmly as he turns onto a different street, “even if it’s accidental.”

Stiles snorts, sans the humor, “Who are you? My mother?”

“That would be extremely weird if I was, but no, I’m not your mother, Stiles.”

Of course he’d go about that rationally, “Look, I know you’re not- just- _why_ are you asking me all of these questions today?”

Derek’s hands tighten a little on the steering wheel, “Because I care.”

“You, playboy and millionaire _Derek Hale_ care about _me?”_ Stiles says with disbelief, but Derek choses to clench his jaw and drive instead of answering the question, “You know, I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my life, but this definitely tops all of those things.”

“You think it’s weird that I care?”

“Well, a little, yeah,” Stiles mutters as he looks out the passenger side window as Derek turns again, “I mean, after all, I’m getting paid by you because I’m supposed to be finding you a mate for the rest of your life. Where in the hell does caring about _me_ come into that?”

Derek takes a moment to reply, “Maybe around time I realized that attempt twenty-four wasn’t my thing, and I came over to your office because she tried to _sniff_ me for someone else when I went to the bathroom.”

“Oh god, that was _one_ time, and I didn’t know she was a stalker, okay?”

Derek snorts, “I know. You plead your case fairly well that night.”

“What else was I supposed to do? You had put a restraining order on her when you realized she was trying to snip of a piece of your hair to _keep._ I didn’t want you to sue me or something.”

“I told you, I’ve never been after your name or money.”

Stiles swivels his head back to look out of the windshield, “Then what are you after, then?”

“This isn’t how I wanted this to go,” Derek mutters mostly to himself, and he wipes at his face as he drives.

Stiles gapes at the werewolf, “Uh, is there something you’re not telling me, Derek?”

Derek opts not to answer, and it makes Stiles nearly go mad with frustration in the passenger seat.

“Are you just going to keep cutting the conversation off when you don’t want to answer me?”

That makes Derek look over to Stiles for a split second before he’s forced to go back to the road, “Stiles, please…”

“I’m just getting a little irritated here, Derek. You’re usually straight-forward with me. It’s one thing I’ve always liked about you. But yet here we are, in this car heading somewhere, and I have no clue as to why or to anything else because you won’t tell me a god damn thing all of the sudden.”

“I don’t want us to fight, okay, Stiles?” the alpha murmurs softly, and he parks the car outside of what looks like a tiny, low-profile restaurant, “I promise that I’ll answer your questions, and I’m sorry that I’m having to dance around you like this… But I’ll tell you when I think I can. Otherwise, I may end up doing more damage by telling the truth rather than good.”

Stiles scowls, “You’re not dying or anything, are you?”

“No,” Derek assures instantly, “It’s nothing like that. I’m not in peril or about to disappear completely. Just- when I think it’s time, I’ll tell you. For now though, let’s just try to relax after a stressful day, okay?”

Stiles exhales but nods, “Yeah, okay… Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

And with that, they get out of the car and head inside right as the sky rumbles with a sincere promise of rain.

The restaurant is obviously nothing cooperate, but rather, a family-owned establishment that promises a cozy familiarity of home that something generic or name brand can’t. It has Stiles looking around the space, taking in the printings of oil paintings that depict large vineyards and detailed landscapes from what Stiles thinks is Italy as he gazes around. Little potted plants containing different flowers – from singular orchids to a grouping of pastel yellow tulips – and candles are at every table, and it’s then that Stiles realizes that it’s all a set up for two people, at the most.

“Uh, Derek,” Stiles whispers, noting that one of the servers has noticed their arrival and is walking from the back of the dining area, “this- is this a couple’s restaurant?”

“It’s intended for that,” Derek replies softly, “but I like the food and the theme of the place.”

“Wait, you’ve been here before?”

Derek exhales softly, but he’s saved by the server reaching them, “Welcome back, Mr. Hale! Are you here for a to-go order?”

“No, ma’am,” Derek smiles, and the whole interaction has Stiles feeling off as he stands there quietly, “we’re here for table number eighteen, please.”

She nods and smiles towards Stiles once she has a hold of two menus, “Okay, table eighteen’s available for you two, so right this way!”

Stiles wants to tail behind Derek, but the alpha somehow manages to make Stiles end up walking behind the server, and he feels a little awkward when they reach their table – a secluded place in the back that isn’t in the view of the front door since a half wall topped with a species of fern blocks it. Stiles is about to grab his chair when Derek does so for him, and he ends up blushing as he sits down. It only worsens when Derek even pushes him back up against the table.

“What a gentlemen you are, Mr. Hale,” the server laughs, and she waits till Derek takes off his jacket and gets in his own seat, “Now, what would you two like to drink today?”

Stiles is about to say water, but Derek beats him to it, “We’d like some regular champagne, if that’s okay.”

“Sure! I just need to see some ID and we’ll be set.”

Derek pulls out his wallet and shows the server his license, and when she comes over to Stiles, he fumbles for his wallet and shows it to her. She giggles at his awkward twitching, but tells them she’ll be back in a moment with the champagne.

As Stiles shakily pockets his wallet again, he looks at Derek with a slight glare, “What’s up with the whole fancy drink thing? And why didn’t you get it wolfsbane-infused?”

“I wanted to treat you, and I’m a fan of the taste but not the hangover,” Derek says nonchalantly as he eyes the menu, “Now, are you in the mood for lasagna or something else?”

Stiles rolls his eyes at Derek, and he knows the alpha will just blow him off with the whole champagne ordeal, “I dunno… I was thinking spaghetti.”

“Nice choice,” Derek sets his menu down and claps his hands together, “I just noticed, our table is missing its decorations.”

Stiles stops from where he just started browsing the pasta section of the menu, and he looks to find the vase at the end of the table forlorn of any flower, “Oh, well, I guess it died or something.”

“Well it needs to be replaced, doesn’t it? Otherwise, you won’t get the full effect of this.”

Stiles is about to ask what Derek means when the alpha smiles as their server comes back with their full bottle of champagne and _what-_

“You never told me you were ordering the whole damn thing!” Stiles hisses under his breath right as their server nears them.

Derek chuckles softly, “What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”

Stiles wants to add something else, but the server smiles and presents them their glasses and the bottle with a smile, “Our bread just needs a few more minutes in the oven, so it shouldn’t be too long on that. Is there anything else you need before I go get that for you two?”

“It seems as though the floral arrangement has gone missing,” Derek smiles, “Could we get another one, if you don’t mind?”

“Oh sure!” the waitress smiles and glances at Stiles, “Would you like to make a special request about the replacement, Mr. Hale?”

Derek’s smile widens, “I think I know just what is needed… Do you have any roses?”

“We sure do, ironically enough! We normally don’t carry them, but someone generously donated a lot to us just this morning.”

“What a coincidence,” Derek laughs, and the server dismisses herself again.

Stiles, who had been playing with his champagne glass a little, is staring at Derek, “Dude, what’s up with you? The roses, the champagne… I thought this was supposed to be a casual sort of thing.”

“I wanted to make it special,” Derek is still smiling, but his voice is lower – more genuine – with Stiles, “You deserve that.”

Stiles gapes softly at that comment, but he doesn’t know what to say as their server returns again.

He’s still going over the words in his head as bread is placed in front of him and Derek converses a little their server again. Stiles vaguely recalls ordering spaghetti when prompted, but other than that, he’s too caught up on what Derek said to him as the alpha begins to poor him a drink.

“You’re quiet now,” Derek murmurs as he tops Stiles’ glass off, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just- uh, just thinking, is all…”

Derek snorts, “Now there’s a surprise… Want to talk about it?”

Stiles shakes his head to get himself back to his senses, “Oh, no, it’s fine, Derek. I’m just a little off today.”

“Are you sure nothing’s bothering you then?”

“Yeah, I meant it when I say I’m fine,” Stiles says quietly, and his fingers wrap around the stem of his glass, “You don’t have to be my knight in shining armor, you know…”

“Is it a bad thing if I were?”

Stiles’ head shoots up at that, and he finds Derek eating some of their fresh bread, like Stiles had just imagined what he said to him, “Are you saying that you want to be?”

The alpha swallows, but he doesn’t look at Stiles, “I don’t know, is that what _you_ want?”

“You’re doing it again…”

Derek scowls, and this time, meets Stiles’ gaze, “Doing what?”

“Changing the subject, avoiding a real answer…” Stiles picks up the slice of bread that was apparently placed in front of him while he wasn’t paying attention, and he picks at its crust and peels it away to fall onto his plate below, “I know you said to just try and enjoy our meal together, and trust me, I’m trying and I do appreciate this too, but- I just feel like- I dunno, it’s hard to explain…”

“I could say the same thing,” the werewolf whispers, making Stiles glance up at him from under his lashes, only to find the alpha buttering another slice of bread, “But I promise, I will explain things eventually.”

“I just don’t know why you can’t tell me now, is all,” the human says with a mumble, and he begins to eat small pieces of his own bread slice, “I thought we were past that whole ‘I’ve got things to hide’ stage.”

Derek snorts, “I remember that interview, you know. You kept asking me what I looked for in a person.”

Stiles knows Derek is changing the subject, but he allows it this time, because at least Derek is answering him now, “Yeah, and you never wanted to elaborate then, either. Huh, maybe _that’s_ why I can’t find you a good match. I don’t know what you’re even looking for in a mate.”

That makes the werewolf laugh slightly, “I didn’t know what I wanted at the time, honestly.”

“But you know that now, though, right?”

They both end up looking at one another, and Derek’s eyes – god, what _color_ are they, even? – are locked onto Stiles’, and they don’t waiver in the slightest as Derek finally responds.

“I guess you could say that…”

Stiles ends up looking away, unable to really take Derek’s gaze meeting his anymore, and his skin burns with blush as he picks up some more bread to nibble on awkwardly, “Well, I’m glad you found what you were looking for, finally.”

Derek chuckles, “It took me long enough… I mean, two years just to finally do anything about it? No wonder my mom grew tired of waiting on me.”

“Wait, so your mom’s handing you the company over because she’s grown impatient?”

“I guess you could say that as well,” Derek huffs a small laugh that doesn’t quite make it, “She was a little upset after the interview that GQ had with me a few months back.”

Stiles nods, remembering the issue that Derek was referencing because he passed it every day on the way to work, and he nearly stopped every day to buy it just because it had the alpha in question on its cover, “Didn’t they ask you about it or something?”

“Sort of. They actually kept questioning me about having plans with the whole passing down the company issue. I explained that I wanted to wait till I thought I was ready, and that I didn’t want to get pressured into anything too fast. Secretly, I think my mom probably paid the journalist off, because he also kept asking me about having any plans of settling down and he was persistent with those. Maybe my mom thought I’d open up and spill it all to a GQ intern because it wasn’t her, but I’m not stupid.”

“Did you confront her about it?”

Derek chuckles after taking a sip of his champagne, “It was actually the _other_ way around. She stormed into my condo after it got printed and distributed out to the public, demanding that I explain why I wouldn’t give a straight answer to any of his questions.”

“I wonder what _that’s_ like,” Stiles jokes, and the alpha rolls his eyes playfully at him for it.

“Anyways, she was mad that I always told him generic answers and that they were the shortest out of the bunch. I mean, there were other things to focus on and explain further.”

Stiles tilts his head and he munches on another bread slice, “Like what?”

“Like what I want to do with the company and if my favorite muffin is double chocolate chip,” Derek sighs and he takes another sip of his champagne, “I only explained that I was going to keep doing things the way we were sans a few improvements, and that no, my favorite is blueberry.”

“I already know that,” Stiles laughs a little, “Remember that time you came to my office and Kira had made a plate of them because it was the first day we were doing walk-in appointments and we wanted something both homey and welcoming? You probably ate half of them before Kira had to run off and make some more.”

Derek chuckles, “Yes, and you scolded me for both eating most of them and for getting crumbs all over the welcome desk.”

“I think that was when you had been with us for a little over a month. I was sure that you were going to come in and give me grief, so I was nervous and snapped on you without thinking…”

“I deserved it,” the werewolf rumbles with a light laugh, “I remember that Kira was so flustered with new clients waiting on her while she was trying to get the cooling muffins out of the pan.”

Stiles groans at the memory, “Oh god, that day was horrible… Honestly, I wasn’t expecting such a large turn out with that promotion.”

“That’s because you’re good at what you do, Stiles,” Derek murmurs, and the human just looks at him with an awestruck stare, “A lot of heartbroken and hopeless romantics come to you because they know you’ll make them happy in the end. They trust you because you’ve never had any issues with giving anyone the promise a happily ever after.”

“Well, until you, that is…”

“Hm, maybe not,” Derek says quietly, but before Stiles can force him to explain what he means by that exactly, the server comes back with their spaghetti.

“Sorry that took so long!” she laughs a little, “I’m afraid we’ve got a new cook back there and he’s currently learning the ropes with our main chef. Still, I’m sure that you’ll find the food to be high quality nonetheless.”

Derek smiles, “I’m sure it is. Thank you.”

Their server nods, and when she meets Stiles’ gaze, she nods towards Derek and winks at him, leaving the human to blush – _yet again_ – as he poked his spaghetti with a fork. Derek, meanwhile, is eating without issue. The alpha manages to clear away a quarter of his plate before he realizes that Stiles is still moving his pasta around meagerly.

“Do you not like it?” he asks.

“Oh no, I- uh, well, I haven’t tried it just yet,” Stiles swallows nervously as he spins his fork to wind some noodles around it, “I’ve just found that I’m not that hungry.”

Derek growls, and it makes Stiles’ head shoot up to find Derek blinking away red eyes, before coughing slightly and clearing his throat, “Swallowed wrong…”

Stiles nods, and instead of trying the spaghetti, he just lets the noodles loosen to fall onto the plate again.

“You should be eating,” Derek says suddenly, making Stiles jump a little in his seat, “You haven’t had anything all day, and you’ll get sick if you don’t eat, Stiles. Just take a bite or two, okay?”

“Oh, I- I guess I should…” Stiles mutters, and he takes a single noodle in and groans at the taste, and he quickly swallows the noodle up and goes back for more, “This stuff is great!”

Derek makes a chocked off noise, but Stiles dismisses it as another coughing fit, “G-Glad you like it…”

Stiles goes back to practically slurping up his pasta like an idiot. It takes him ten minutes to clear his plate, and by the end, he’s wiping at his face with his napkin and feeling like a slob as Derek stares at him.

“S-Sorry,” Stiles mutters, and he quickly tries to fix himself to seem appropriate, “I guess I was hungrier than I thought…”

“It’s f-fine,” Derek quickly steels himself and finishes the last couple of bites he has left of his own pasta.

Their server comes back and ends up giving Derek the check. She smiles and wishes them a good night, and she giggles when she makes a thumbs up at Stiles while mouthing “good job!”. Stiles wonders what she meant by that until Stiles sees the comment she wrote on the ticket.

“Oh my god,” Stiles picks the piece of paper up, and Derek stops and looks at from where he was retrieving his leather jacket from the back of his chair, “’You two make a cute couple’… She thinks we’re together!”

Derek stiffens a little, and he stares at Stiles, and then the ticket, “Is that a problem?”

“N-No, I mean-” Stiles rubs at the back of his neck as he scrambles for an appropriate answer, “It’s just- well I mean, she only gave us one ticket thinking we were a couple so…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” and visibly Derek relaxes as Stiles begins to step away until Stiles feels a hand stop him and something drape over his shoulders.

Stiles stares at the soft leather now draping over him, “Derek, what-“

“You forgot your jacket at your office,” Derek explains.

The human is about to ask why that’s important until he hears a crackle of thunder and looks outside, “O-Oh…”

It’s pouring rain now, and despite the fact that Derek’s Camaro is right at the curb in front of the door, the rain does a pretty good job at making it seem almost non-existent. Stiles swallows and tells Derek thank you, and they begin to leave. As they walk away from their table and up to the front, Stiles tries to finish putting the jacket on, but a prick to his finger has him stopping until he sees that there’s a _fucking rose_ on the inside of it, the bottom of its stem resting in what seems like a compartment for a pocket watch. It has Stiles bouncing foot to foot as Derek pays, and it isn’t until they’re out underneath the small, over-the door awning that he confronts Derek about it.

“Dude, why in the hell did you take the rose from the vase!?” Stiles hisses over the strong roar of the rain droplets falling only inches away from him as he takes out and shows Derek the offending rose, “What kind of rich person are you!? You can afford to _not_ steal flowers!”

“I technically didn’t steal it,” Derek smiles, and Stiles is confused as hell as Derek takes out his keys, “Look in the right front pocket, Stiles.”

Stiles opens his mouth to argue with Derek, but he ends up opting for silence when he ends up pulling a receipt out of Derek’s jacket pocket. He looks at the piece of paper and gasps, because it shows the purchase of several-hundred dollars’ worth of _roses_ and a separate charge for their delivery to the restaurant from this morning.

“D-Derek, what-“ Stiles wants to say something else – ask Derek why in the hell he bought the roses for this place – when he finds writing on the back of the receipt.

In black ink, the words: “I found you” are written.

Stiles blinks and looks at the alpha in confusion, and he’s staring at Stiles like he had been at the table previously, “Derek, I don’t- what are you saying? …”

“You’ve been asking me all day why I do things the way I do, and I’ve been avoiding answering those questions because I wasn’t sure if you’d understand,” Derek murmurs, and he rubs at the back of his neck while looking towards his shoes, “My mom didn’t grow impatient and wasn’t giving me the company because she was tired of waiting. I didn’t keep turning down people because I didn’t want a mate. Hell, I didn’t stay with your company for as long as I have just because I felt hopeless when it came to finding who I wanted.”

“Derek, what-“

“Stiles, I found my mate.”

Stiles’ heart stalls for a moment, “O-Oh… I guess- I guess that makes since, you know… why I couldn’t get you with anybody… But I don’t understand, Derek. If you already knew your mate, why did you keep coming to me so I could find them?”

“Because I wondered when you see it, Stiles,” Derek begins, “You know, for someone who specializes in getting people their perfect match, you’ve never once considered doing so for yourself. I’ve never once heard of you trying to find someone, and you were always in your office whenever I came into see you. Stiles, you have spent the past five years of your life in New York building up your company, the past two dealing with my sorry ass, and never once during that length of time have you ever spent a fraction of it on yourself.”

“So what, you’re criticizing me now because _I_ haven’t found something?” Stiles says with some amount of hurt, “Damn, Derek, if I had known this dinner would’ve ended up with the tables turning, I might have shot you down.”

Derek sighs, “Stiles, please- just- hear me out, okay? I’m not insulting you. I’m not judging you. I’m only saying that I don’t think you’ve ever considered yourself when it came to this sort of thing. All the time you kept pairing people up, making the foundation for families and a happily ever after, but that wasn’t in the cards when it came to you. You just never thought you could be ones of those people, did you?”

Stiles is about to walk away when Derek grabs Stiles’ arm, making him stop in his tracks as the rain begins to quickly soak him to his bones.

“But I want you to be, Stiles. I want you to realize you _are_ one of those people because you are, okay?”

Stiles doesn’t look at the alpha – he can’t – as his hair begins to bend with the weight of rainwater, “Please let go, Derek…”

“Stiles, you asked me why I kept staying with you, didn’t you?” Stiles’ arm slackens a little, and he stops from trying to run off from the own questions he’s been avoiding.

“Yeah, and why is that, _Mr. Hale?”_ Stiles taunts.

“Because you’re my mate, Stiles…”

Stiles pivots instantly, and he stares at the alpha with wide eyes as rain drops roll down his face and collect on his lenses, “W-What?”

“You’re my mate,” Derek rushes out, and he looks so fragile right then – like saying these words might break him and everything they have – which it might, “You’re my mate and I’ve known for nearly two fucking years now and I can’t wait any longer.”

“Derek, I-“ Stiles turns his body towards the alpha, and he rubs at the sleeve of his jacket that is almost too big for him, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say…”

Derek nods, “That’s fine, just- I couldn’t keep dancing around _you_ anymore, okay? Just the way you smell and smile and laugh I just can’t- it’s almost unbearable not to touch you.”

“It is?”

The alpha nods, and he takes a few steps closer until he’s standing in the rain with Stiles, and his thumb brushes the corner of Stiles’ mouth as he smirks, “Yes, it is… And by the way, you missed a bit of spaghetti sauce.”

Stiles blushes and drops his gaze from Derek’s heated one, “O-Oh, I did?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Derek murmurs, and in seconds, his mouth is pressed up against Stiles’.

Stiles instantly melts into the kiss because – _hello,_ he’s not blind and yes, he’s always been a tad bit attracted to Derek – but at the same time, the alpha’s lips are so soft against his and _dear god_ when was the last time he did anything _remotely similar_ to this?

Still, Stiles ends up parting his lips and letting Derek’s tongue slip in to rub against his own, mostly so he can taste that spice that the alpha carries about him like some heated aura. He feels hands wrap around his waist and down until they reach his belt loops where they tether themselves down with curious fingertips. Stiles ends up getting pulled flush against Derek, and he pulls his arms up from his sides do he can pull Derek closer himself by hooking his arms over the nape of the werewolf’s neck. They make out for what feels like hours or even days, but by the time they pull apart for air, Derek’s completely soaked and Stiles isn’t that much better off, but they’re both panting and staring at each other with slightly hazy eyes.

“I-“ Stiles exhales roughly and blinks a few times to get his thoughts back together, “That was- unexpected…”

“Unexpected but good,” Derek grins, and he holds the hand that isn’t loosely keeping the rose in its grip, “Now, before some reporter or someone else takes a picture of us, how about we break the news to my mom before the newest tabloid gets printed?”

Stiles laughs, and he uses a serious reporter voice, “ _’A Business Tycoon and a Matchmaker- A Story of Business Ledgers and Love Letters!’”_

“Now _there’s_ a headline.”

**Author's Note:**

>  **Prompt me here at:**  
>  http://sunshinexlollipops.tumblr.com/promptask
> 
> (If you want to prompt me in the comments, please read my list of "will not write's" and ground rules that are on my prompt page first.)
> 
> \--
> 
> This was written to:
> 
> 1\. When I Find Love Again - James Blunt  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eNZMaYY-EE
> 
> 2\. Kiss Me - Ed Sheeran [Rain Version]  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tci5Z-GKhEE
> 
> 3\. Give Me Love - Ed Sheeran [Rain Version]  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJhU3oaFpjk
> 
> 4\. Undisclosed Desires vs. Rolling in the Deep - Muse vs. Adele [Mashup]  
> https://soundcloud.com/emmediemme/undisclosed-desires-vs-rolling


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